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Jacó Not Suitable For Swimming
Inside Costa Rica

Recent studies of water samples taken by the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) - water and sewer utility - reveal that the waters of Playa Jacó are not suitable for swimming. The water samples taken show a density of Fecal coliform of 675/1000 ml.

The ministra de Salud, María Luisa Ávila Agüero, said yesterday that her health officials will be intensifying efforts in Jacó as well as other beaches with high levels of contamination, in order to further prevent and mitigate pollution from sewage. Ávila added that the local health officials of the Área Rectora de Salud de Orotina, San Mateo y Garabito have taken on the task of strengthening their efforts, making more inspections of area businesses, and in conjunction with the AyA will be taking samples of wastewater from sewage treatment plants.

The Ministerio de Salud is also giving priority to the problem and responding quickly to complaints of wastewater problems and will be issuing health orders against individual property owners, be it residential or commercial, as well a inspecting vehicles that carry septic tank waste and sewage. The Health ministry, according to the Health minister, is in the process of mapping out high risk areas and identifying "cuaterias" (flop houses) or "precarios" (shanty towns) with the objective of shutting them down, as they pose health risks for those living in such accommodations.

AVila added that engineers and arquitects have undergone training on the procedures and requirements to be met by local generators of wastewater, among other specific actions. "Our presence in the area (Jacó) will be further strengthened with the opening of a new Área Rectora de Salud en el cantón de Garabito (schedule to open in January), where five permanent Salud staff members will be permanently assigned. ur purpose is to have a greater presence and control in an area, which in recent years, has seen significant development" said Avila.

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Now THAT'S a shitty deal

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In honor of Jimmy V week, "Don't give up, don't ever give up!"

Actually, it's been reported for at least a year that this is the case. The same with Tamarindo. They lost their "Blue Flag" rating last year because of fecal matter in the run-off water that goes into the ocean.

Yeah Mucho Gusto where have you been the entire country is surrounded by raw sewage, keep up with current events will you?
PS
enjoy your swim at the beach gringos.

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Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

Sorry guys. IT WAS ME!!!

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I believe in moderation in everything except excess.
I phuck 'em just to see the look on their face.
Klatu, berata, nicto.

I can't lie...4 years ago, I pooped in the ocean at la playa Jaco.

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My life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...." MAN....WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

I think this might also be partly a seasonal thing. Not that their sewage treatment practices in CR are generally a good thing at any time of the year, but the situation does seem to get worse duing the rainy season when there is much more runoff into the ocean. Or at least that was what I had read Tamarindo apologists saying when the reports of similar problems in their area came out in the summer of last year. Supposedly they cracked down on a number of businesses that were the worst offenders (btw, including the Diria, which is the Tamarindo hotel most often recommended by other mongers) and the situation improved when they re-tested last winter. Who knows what the truth really is. Tourism, commercial and governmental (both local and national) entities have an interest in minimizing these reports, while at the same time minimizing the amounts they have to spend to really fix it. I suspect there will continue to be just a lot of window dressing done every time these reports pop up in the media to convince people the situation is being addressed but then only until all the hullabaloo subsides. Eventually things will get so bad that the situation can't be ignored or papered over. Has anyone here ever read or seen the play "Enemy of the People" by Henrik Ibsen? I recommend it.

I was in Jaco several years back and swimming in the ocean with contact lenses. Not sure if the contacts aggravated matters. Anyhow, flew back to the US and had a super bad eye infection. I had to actually quarantine myself until it cleared up... doctors orders.

I know for a fact, I caught this in Jaco.

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http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

To my knowledge the sewer treatment plants in Costa Rica are antiquated, inadequate and seriously overburdened. There are breaks in the system and many illegal taps into and out of the system.

AyA freely admits it has done little since 1974 due to a lack of funds. For example, in the Limon earthquake, the sewer treatment plant was destroyed and AyA has had difficulty in making repairs due to a lack of funding. Repairs are being made but slowly. In the meanwhile, where does the effluent flow? That earthquake was in April 1991.

In 1978, the government established a Revolving Fund for Urban Aqueducts (Agreement No. 78-137). Because it was poorly conceived, the Fund has virtually drained all funds from the urbanization plan so AyA cannot fund the maintenance or construction of an adequate system. Where does the laregly untreated or semi-treated waste water flow?

Outside the urban centers, waste effluent is either treated at an onsite septic system or it is dumped directly into the rivers which flow to the ocean. The fact that major hotels and resorts have been dumping wastewater directly into tributaries or the ocean has been well documented. We know where that waste water flows!

As someone said before, it is a shitty deal.

Young people in snowbound areas of the north learn quickly never eat yellow snow. Likewise, one should learn early, never swim in Costa Rican waters because they are not blue but brown.

I guess it's better then pulling out and catching a steamer on your johnson


Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

I have posted this several times but don't feel like looking up and pasting the threads.

I got Hepatitis A the first visit to CR. I originally figured it was from a chica or a local soda but I have since learned from younger surfers that don't come here for girls warn each other about the Hep risk in the oceans here.

I did spend 3 days in the water in Jaco my first trip.

Good Luck.

duh, the "green" rating for beaches is bs. I cannot believe you write about it.
The water is sewer water. the hotels empty feces into water.

jaco is a sewer. Cobndos closing. no sales, bo building, even the beatle bar is going away.

look at water flowing near beatle bar, there are turds floating in the water.
surfers are all sick MFers' with Hep C.

Their musclea are strphying and their cocks are down to a nubit.

and u write about water. duh!!!7-8 years this way.

e coli is your friend....CR is a tourist spot...duh...the girls in CR are cheap...duh...you would be better off going anywhere but CR.

CR is a sewer. Crime up, cocks down, gringos robbed...duh, talk about it some more.

ur the same asshole who wrote about s and p coming back.

yeah right 17 years from now!!!

read, knowledge is power and ur powertless

When I first came to Costa Rica in the early 90's it was known that Jaco had dirty water at the beach.
The ONE time I got very sick in Costa Rica it was after swimming at Jaco and accidentally swallowing some water when a wave pulled me under (they also have bad riptides at times).
Moral of the story:
Don't swim at Jaco.

Damn it doesn't come to me as a surprise. Well I did hear rumors but I didn't care. I went in the beach for a swim about once in Aug. Nothing happened thank God. However I can't say the same for my cousin. He actually swallowed some water and got SICK!!! Maybe because of all the bacteria and shit. No more Jaco swimming for me and I kinda like it.

I saw a write up in the Tico Times in sept talking about the high Fecal counts. Both for Jaco and Tamarindo. The numbers they quoted where unreal. Definately not worth going swimming.

In Jaco they found pipes dumping into the creek. As well there was a squaters camp that was using it.

Begining to think, time to look for other beaches else where to swim other then CR.

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CRTB

Nothing like stuffin tica muffin.........
Thai... Phili.... Viet....
Oh what the hell ever.......